Chaos
by GreenLoki
Summary: After an attack from one of their enemies, Tony and Loki find themselves caring for the rest of their team, who were turned into children. Faced with having to figure a way into returning their team-mates to their rightful age, as well as having to put a stop to their enemy's desire, Tony and Loki develop feelings for not only themselves, but for the children they have to protect.
1. Prologue: A Big Problem

_**A part of me seriously hates it when these ideas come, because I honestly don't have the time to work on them with me being in school and having a part-time job on top of that, but when the urge hits, I can't help it. This is the result of said idea. **_

_** Please forgive me, because I honestly have no idea when these updates are going to occur.**_

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**PROLOGUE  
**A Big Problem

_One … two … three … four … five … six … seven … eight … nine … ten …_ Taking a slow, deep breath, Director Nick Fury gathered his strength and opened his one good eye, praying that what was before him was just a figment of his imagination. It would probably be able to pass as such; after all, the Director had seen and been through a lot of unbelievable stuff. However, when he turned around to address what he hoped to be his imagination, he was forced back into reality when said imagination was still in the conference room with him. Groaning in annoyance, Fury shook his head and sunk into the chair at the head of the table, his eyes moving from team-mate to team-mate. For once in his life, the Director had absolutely no idea what to do.

A few seats down on Fury's right was Tony Stark – known to the world as Iron Man. Yet again the Director was left to wonder if he was still dreaming, because the Genius/Billionaire/Playboy/Philanthropist was actually silent. His chocolate brown eyes were either staring at an invisible stain on the surface of the table or risking – several – glances over at Loki Odinson – their once enemy, now newest member of 'The Avenger Initiative' – who was sitting across from him. This normally wouldn't have been an issue, but the child sitting in Loki's lap, however, was. Thor was sitting on Loki's right with a worried expression on his face, his entire posture stiff, his chair angled in his little brother's direction, his stance protective. Of course, that was a normal thing, too, which was why Fury wasn't focused on that, either. The child, on the other hand …

"Loki," Fury finally said, directing the soon-to-be-questions at the God of Mischief, who immediately sat up straighter in his seat, his emerald green eyes widening slightly at being put on the spot. "Can you please explain to me why Agent Barton is …_ this_?"

He honestly didn't mean for the question to come out so harshly, but he had no idea how to react to something like that. Clint Barton, one of SHIELD's finest was a two-year old version of himself, sitting on Loki's lap, his stormy, grey eyes wide and innocent. The clothes that he adorned earlier that day had also shrunk in size, as had the bow in his hands and the quiver of arrows strapped across his back. He looked mighty comfortable on Loki's lap, too, which was also interesting, but those were questions for another time. Upon seeing Fury's gaze on him, Clint looked up at him and smiled, bashfully waving a hand before burying his face into Loki's chest.

"Well … um …" What could possibly be said to make the situation any better? That was Loki's thinking, of course, which was why – when he couldn't figure out exactly how to properly explain the reasons as to why Clint Barton was turned into a two-year old – he remained silent.

Nodding his head, as if he could actually hear the reasoning behind Loki's thoughts, Nick sighed once more and looked at the next person in line. Natasha Romanoff was sitting on Loki's left, her legs crossed. With a bored expression on her face, the one known as Black Widow, started picking at her nails. Like her partner, the clothing that she wore the last time they were together had shrunk in size, though she was no two-year old.

_One … two … three … four … five …_ The Director rubbed at his temples, shocked that he didn't already have a migraine. He could feel one coming, though.

"Captain," Fury called on next, glancing over at Steve Rogers, who was sitting beside Stark. The man literally jumped a little in his seat, which was very unusual for someone like him. Steve was very professional and very calm. He never got jumpy, especially not when it had something to do with going over details of a mission the Avengers were tasked to go on. "Why is Agent Romanoff twelve?"

Before Steve – also known as Captain America – could answer, however, Natasha turned and sent Fury a glare, her blue eyes narrowing into slits. "I'm _thirteen_."

_… Six … seven … eight … nine … ten …_ Raising an eyebrow at the girl, Fury turned his attention back to Steve, whose face immediately coloured into a pinkish-red shade. A dull throb was starting to pulse against the Director's temples, the steady beats slowly increasing in both speed and volume. Eye twitching slightly, Fury ran a hand over his face, his head shaking slightly, both in disbelieve and in discomfort due to the growing headache, soon-to-be migraine.

And he wasn't even finished yet!

Oh, no – sitting a few seats away on the Captain's left was Bruce Banner. The soft snores coming from him indicated sleep, but that wasn't at all what was concerning the Director, though – no, not at all. In fact, sleep for the good doctor was a very good thing. Fury could only hope that he stay sleeping for however long it took to fix the problem that was his Avengers turning into children. Of course, Fury had hoped that this was all an imagination, but that didn't turn out how he hoped at all.

"Sixteen," The Director finally said, a humourless chuckle forcing its way up. It was either laugh or cry. "Bruce Banner has been turned into a sixteen-year old. _The Hulk_ has been turned into a _moody_, _hormonal _teenager," Looking around the room, Fury found that all eyes – except for Clint's, whose eyes were staring up at Loki, and Natasha's, who was still picking at her nails – were glued on invisible specks on the spotless table before them. All were completely still … all incredibly terrified of what Nick Fury would do. On any other day, Fury would have reveled at the thought of them being terrified of him – at least they would then listen to him and not fight with him all the time – but now, after being faced with this _huge_ problem, the only emotion the Director felt was annoyance, which was quickly growing to anger. "Can someone _please_ tell me what the fuck is going on here!? How did this happen!?"

A long silence followed Fury's sudden outburst, none of the Avengers wanting to take the lead in explaining what actually happened. Not only was it totally embarrassing for them – Earth's protectors turned into children … huh … – but none of them were entirely sure as to why it happened, either. They only knew a name.

Fury waited as patiently as he could for an answer to be given, but as the seconds ticked by, the Director could feel his blood start to boil. His one good eye took another sweeping glance around the table, and he caught Tony Stark looking up to meet the emerald green eyes of Loki who peered back at him. A silent conversation seemed to occur between the two of them – only lasting a few seconds – but when the exchange was done, Stark finally looked Fury in the eye, his expression blank.

"Amora," And that was all that really needed to be said. "We don't know why she attacked or decided to turn them into kids."

Lifting an eyebrow, the Director glared hard at Tony until the intensity of his gaze was too much, and Stark had to finally look away, the weight simply too much for him to bear at that moment. _That_ was interesting, as well, because Tony Stark didn't back down from Nick Fury – _ever_. No snarky comments were thrown his way, either. Of course, the man probably thought wise of that to begin with. There was no telling what Fury would do to him if he started acting like the sarcastic asshole that he was.

But then they were stuck with the current situation. Three out of the seven Avengers were below the age of twenty, one of them being a _two _-year old. An angry sigh passed exasperatedly through the Director's lips, and he closed his one good eye, squeezing it shut as the level of his anger started to rise. They now had an evil Sorceress to deal with who was apparently turning his Avengers into children. The reasons for her attack were unclear, but they had a serious problem.

Calmly placing his hands firmly on the surface of the table, Fury rose from his seat, his one good eye opening, taking in his team once more. "Take them back to Stark Tower. Figure out a way to stop this bitch before she does anything else."

The finality in his tone was firm and direct. Obediently, the four remaining adult Avengers stood to their feet – Loki positioning a two-year old Clint properly on his hip – and started preparing to leave – Natasha going so far as to rolling her eyes when Thor nudged her shoulder and murmuring that it was time to go – before the Director's voice sounded over the rolling of chairs, Clint's unintelligible words, and the Black Widow's huffs.

"And for the love of all that is holy, if Bruce, Romanoff, and Barton leave your sight for one second and run off, you better pray that I don't find you."

It didn't take the Avengers long at all to vacate SHIELD Headquarters, and when the door finally closed, Director Nick Fury let out a long sigh; his body slowly falling back into the chair he previously sat in, his hands once again going to his temples. He slowly started to rub soothing circles along the sensitive skin, his mind trying to come up with some sort of explanation as to what the hell was going on with Amora and her attack on his team. Something told him, though, that it was only beginning.

_ One … two … three … four … five … six … seven … eight … nine … ten …_

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_** So that's the first chapter? Sound any good to you guys? Should I continue? Please review and let me know!**_


	2. Chapter 1: An Avenger's Breakfast

_** Wow, I was so not expecting all of those alerts and favourites! They were so inspiring and totally motivated me to continue writing! Thank you all so much!**_

_** Special thanks to **__skydancer2ooo__**, **__CoffeeCupCrazy__**, **__Loki-Vainglorious__**, **__cara-tanaka__**, **__Hieiko__**, **__GodsOfMischiefIntellectArts__**, **__The Incredible Rori__**, **__Zoya Shaf__**, **__ANGELnDEVIL, Lacus01__**, **__survivor girl1__**, **__ClockworkMystery__**, and **__Hikarikurai24587 __**for your reviews. They were simply amazing!**_

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**CHAPTER ONE  
**An Avenger's Breakfast

_ Earlier that day …_

Smirking softly, Tony Stark took a good look around the kitchen counter at the Avengers that were sitting on barstools. He would never admit it aloud to himself, but those people who were currently taking residents in his Tower were not only his very good friends, but with each day that passed, they were also becoming his family. Never would he have thought that he would be sitting around in the kitchen with a group of superheroes. If he were being completely honest with himself, he never would have thought that he'd be one of them. Each of them had a certain strength that benefited the team in more ways than one – and in extreme cases, those strengths had saved not only their lives, but the lives of the citizens they were to protect.

Steve Rogers was a soldier, and no matter how long he had been on ice for, that didn't change the strict military background he had come from. Captain America was calm and collected all the time, and that truly benefited them when they were in the middle of a battle. No matter what was going on around them, Tony and the other Avengers knew for a fact that if they needed Steve, he would always be there either to aid or to advise the situation.

Tony's attention was then shifted to Clint Barton, who was currently laughing at something that Natasha said, his stormy blue=grey eyes shining happily as he retorted back, earning a playful slap from his girlfriend. The two SHIELD assassins were a mystery when they first joined 'The Avenger Initiative,' neither ever engaged with the rest of the team unless it was mandatory, always keeping to themselves, always sharing secrets. Over time, though, the more the two got to know the people they were associated with, the easier it was for them to slowly tear down their walls, and eventually, Tony found himself in the most ridiculous fights with the Archer, the two arguing over the most crazy things ever. Natasha was always there to reel them back in, though, playfully chiding and reprimanding them for their silly behaviour. Regardless of how open the two assassins became when they weren't in a fight, in battle, they were completely the opposite. While Clint Barton was the eyes up above, directing and guiding the rest of the Avengers while they were in the middle of a fight, Natasha Romanoff was lethal on the ground. With her skill training – both in Russia and in SHIELD – she was a huge contributor to their success.

And while Earth had heroes from its own planet, the Avengers were equipped with another kind of hero in the form of a God – the God of Thunder, to be exact. Tall, broad, and loud, Thor Odinson was the group's teddy-bear. With his kind, warm eyes, all the way to his bone-crushing hugs, the God of Thunder could bend the will of any of them with his puppy-dog eyes. The God was playful when it came to his friends and naïve when it came to 'Midgardian' culture. But besides that, when it came to his family and friends, Thor was very protective, and would do anything and everything humanly possible to ensure that they were all taken care of.

Leaning against the counter, his hip propped against the marble, Tony shifted his gaze over to the corner where Bruce Banner – also known as 'The Hulk' – resided. Bruce was most definitely the shiest out of all of the Avengers. Underneath his kind eyes and bashful smile, the Good Doctor had a fierce temper – one that turned him into an enormous, green, rage-monster that enjoyed smashing and destroying things. Usually secluding himself from the rest of the team, Bruce found comfort in his private lab, the place where he felt the most comfortable in, engaged in his research on gamma radiation and on medicine. And out of all the team, Banner felt the most comfortable around Tony, his fellow science buddy.

But lately, however, Tony came to realize that the Good Doctor was also socializing more and more with their newest member, Thor's brother, Loki. It was quite the turnaround for the God of Mischief, having come to their rescue when they all found themselves in a tight spot. Only immediately after the rescue, Loki had gone into great detail explaining why he had done what he did – aligning himself with the Chitauri and Thanos, trying to take over Earth – and concluded with his desire to change his ways. It was only natural that the team be suspicious, but after a good, long discussion, the team decided that it would be fitting to at least give him a chance to prove himself – not only that, but if he were to stay on Earth, it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't get into trouble. Several months later, the Avengers were welcoming in their newest member.

He was a curious case, Loki was. From the moment he joined 'The Avengers Initiative,' the God of Mischief and Tony found themselves in this little game of cat-and-mouse, both teasing – and eventually flirting – and competing in a game full of sarcasm and wit, trying to be the one to have the final word in the most trivial of discussions. Leaning forward, Tony rested his elbows on the counter, his chocolate brown eyes never leaving the God as he continued his conversation with Bruce Banner. It was an odd feeling, but it was a feeling that Tony simply reveled in as he made no attempt to hide his ogling. And if he were being honest with himself, Stark couldn't care less if he was caught or not. He enjoyed staring at Loki Odinson. He enjoyed watching his graceful movements, he enjoyed the way his emerald green eyes sparkled when he was happy, and he enjoyed watching as those eyes turned jade when he was angry. And he very much enjoyed the way his lips turned up slightly when he was certain that Tony was watching him.

Needless the say, Tony Stark was enjoying what was becoming his new life. Pushing himself off the counter, Tony cleared his throat, slowly gaining the attention of his fellow friends. "Guys, you're killing me here. Now, let's stop making life difficult – because, that's my job – and tell me what you want to eat so I can fix it. And, of course, by me, I mean Jarvis."

"That's so not a part of our arrangement, man," Clint Barton spoke up, turning his attention over to Stark, his stormy blue-grey eyes narrowing playfully as he leaned forward on the counter, his elbows propped up. "Jarvis isn't to make the breakfast – you are. We switch off every day."

"And I have yet to understand why we do such a thing. You, my bird friend, are the best cook in the house – or Tower, really – so why are we to suffer when our food isn't nearly as tasty as yours?" A little reverse psychology, of course, never hurt anyone, and Tony was certain that Barton would fall for it. The man did enjoy getting compliments on the different foods that he could cook. After all, traveling to different countries all over the world all the time was bound to rub off a few culinary traits.

"Cut the shit, Stark, and make me pancakes."

"I cannot believe this shit," Tony mumbled as he grabbed a pen and pad, writing down Clint's name and what he wanted. His gaze turned towards Natasha, and his annoyance only seemed to increase as she told him what she wanted – an omelet with cheese, green peppers, onions, and a hint of sour cream. Why anyone would want sour cream with eggs was beyond him, but the only thing Tony could focus on was the fact that so far he had two completely different dishes to make, and he wasn't halfway finished taking their orders yet.

Ten minutes later, with a pad full of different requests, Tony made his way to the fridge while everyone ventured into the living room until breakfast was ready. At least Bruce's was an easy one, and Steve's wouldn't be all that hard either. Grabbing a container of yogurt, Stark put it on the counter, followed by a spoon a few seconds later. Marking off Bruce's name, Tony scanned the menu over again then paused. _Clint … Natasha … Bruce … Steve … Thor …_ where was Loki? Just as the thought came to mind, movement in his peripheral vision caught his eye, and he turned – the breath hitching in his throat – to see Loki sitting on the counter with a bowl full of grapes sitting beside him. Emerald green eyes were watching him with such intensity; Tony involuntarily gulped, causing a wicked smile to cross the God's features. It wasn't only just the way he was staring at him that caught him off guard, but the way he was _sitting_ that really brought it home. Now normally, Tony wasn't a fan of anyone's ass sitting on his granite countertops, but there was just something about the way Loki looked – clad in leather jeans that were perhaps a bit tighter than they should – that changed his mind completely. Not to mention how wide his legs seemed to be spread apart, leaving nothing to the imagination.

"It seem as though you've forgotten my order, Stark," Loki purred, popping another grape in his mouth, the smirk on his face growing as he watched Tony ogle at him. The man's chocolate brown eyes were taking him in, and Loki couldn't help but enjoy how obvious those warm eyes were scanning over his entire body. He didn't spend thirty minutes for nothing picking out that outfit.

It took him a moment to put himself back together again, and when he was finally thinking with the proper brain – because he so wasn't thinking about pushing the God against the counter and fucking him senseless – Tony could clearly see that the game was once again on, and this was just another attempt to completely dishevel him. Remembering Steve's order, Stark slowly made his way over to Loki, looking the man up and down as he approached. "Maybe I forgot your order on purpose, Reindeer Games. Did you ever think of that?" Sidling up to the man, Tony maneuvered his way in between Loki's legs, leaning closer until there was barely an inch separating their lips.

Momentary surprised at such a bold move, it took the God a moment to wrap his head around the position that they were in before allowing that lazy smirk to reappear, letting out an airy chuckle in reply. "And why would you purposely forget my order, Stark? Are you that desperate to get me alone?"

He learned in closer, his eyes taking in the beautiful yellow and brown specks that dotted Loki's otherwise emerald green eyes. It was indeed a bold move, but hey, Tony Stark wasn't known for being subtle. He liked things big and bright, and if that meant getting into a God's face – and seriously thinking about closing that minimal distance between them – then he would do it with pride. Lips brushing against one another as Stark leaned even closer, the Genius/Billionaire/Playboy/Philanthropist couldn't help but smirk slightly when he saw Loki's eyes flutter closed, and he almost felt guilty when he pulled back, a loaf of bread now in his hand.

Chocolate brown eyes were sparkling as Tony opened the loaf of bread, pulling out two pieces. He saw Loki almost fall off the counter as he pulled away from him, and he could feel the heat radiating off of him as he glared angrily after Tony. Stark made no notice of this, however, and that only seemed to make the God that much agitated. Revenge was going to be a bitch, but Tony was actually looking forward to it. He only hoped that, when it came – and it would come very soon – it would be in a secluded part of the Tower, preferably close to a nice, king-sized bed.

Tony turned around and almost stumbled back against the counter. Loki was suddenly standing behind him, his eyes that hypnotic jade colour that was seriously attractive and addictive and his mouth opened – probably to spit out some nasty insult – but nothing came out, because in that second, Jarvis, Tony's lovely AI, decided that it was the perfect moment to interrupt whatever game they were playing.

"Sir, there are strange readings on the scanners, located around the downtown area of Manhattan," Jarvis chimed, the posh English accent as calm as ever.

Letting out an air of annoyance at how Loki took a step back and left the kitchen altogether, Tony mumbled a few curses under his breath. Whatever the hell was going on in downtown Manhattan better not be extreme, because if yet another villain was trying to take over the world, so help them, Tony was going to blow them to smithereens for fucking up the almost-kiss he and Loki were getting ready to engage in. He groaned angrily as he followed Loki out of the kitchen, and he definitely wasn't following the tantalizing sway of his hips as he joined the others. Nope, not at all …

"Put it on the screen, Jarvis," Tony instructed, taking his place towards the front of the screen. He crossed his arms and pushed what happened in the kitchen with a certain God to the back of his mind. With potential danger in the question, it was best to not be distracted. Hundreds of lives were on the line, and Tony did not want to have any more lost lives on his conscious. "And pull up street cameras around the projected area. Maybe we can see what we're dealing with."

"Of course, sir – right away," Jarvis said, and immediately, the screen came to life. In the top left hand corner was the scanner with different readings of energy frequencies and gamma radiation. The rest of the screen was the perfect camera angle of whatever was going on in downtown Manhattan, and it was a lot.

People were running around as light green orbs of energy flew around. Sometimes they went out of range and the only thing that indicated an explosion was the debris that came into the range of the camera moments later. Sometimes the explosions happened in range, and it was enough to make them all antsy. It was obviously a disaster zone down there, and it wouldn't take long for Fury to get into contact with them.

"Shit …" Tony mumbled as he took in the havoc. Glancing around the room, he saw similar expressions on his fellow Avengers' faces … except two. Thor and Loki were looking at each other; nothing really being said between the two of them, but the looks on their faces was enough of a clue to determine that they had a fairly good idea what was going on.

Luckily for Tony, Natasha Romanoff was just as perceptive, and she immediately noticed the change in their behaviour. "What are we dealing with, guys?" She addressed, and that was enough for the rest of the Avengers to pull their gazes away from the screen and focus on the two Gods.

"Her name is Amora," Thor said. Normally he would like to take a moment to reorganize his thoughts, but they didn't have a moment. They needed information now. "We haven't seen her in centuries. She was casted out of Asgard for reasons that even we do not know."

"We'll find out once we've contained her," Steve said, stepping forward. Taking up his role as leader, Tony stepped back and allowed him a moment to assess the range before turning back to the rest of the Avengers. "Barton, get on this rooftop," He pointed to said rooftop. "As of right now, we don't know if she has any help with her, but for the time being, we'll assume that she does. Keep an eye out on any more potential threats."

"You got it," Clint said. Immediately after, he turned around and disappeared down a hallway, probably to get his bow and arrow ready.

"Natasha, you, Tony, and I will be on the ground, getting people out of the area and to safety. Until we know what we are properly dealing with, it is best if the area is clear of all citizens," Steve continued, turning to Black Widow and Iron Man.

Natasha nodded her head and turned around, following after her partner. Her steps were quiet and graceful, like the deadly creature she was. If he wasn't paying attention, Tony wouldn't have even noticed that she left the room. He would have followed, but there was just something about the way the two Gods were standing that was kind of putting him on edge.

"Bruce, you're on call," Steve looked at the scientist, who looked a little at ease at Steve's place for him. "Until we know what we're dealing with, and if there are any goons with her, I don't you anywhere near the area."

Bruce nodded his head and took a step back while Steve shifted his focus to Thor and Loki, who had yet to say a word since they identified the villain. There was something about the way Loki was standing that was off. There was something about how silent Thor was being that was off. The God of Thunder wasn't just quiet. That sort of thing just didn't happen. Whether he noticed or was simply ignoring the fact, Tony didn't know, but Steve turned to them and continued on, the authority in his voice astounding.

"You guys up for seeing what Amora wants?"

And just like that, the unease was gone. Thor smiled grandly, his hand extending into the open area until Mjolnir flew into his open palm. Loki smiled as his entire appearance contorted and shifted until he was adorned in his armour, fully equipped with that horn-shaped helmet resting atop his head.

"We are ready, my friend," Thor nodded his head. "My brother and I shall discover the truth as to why Amora has come to Midgard."

Nodding his head, Steve quickly turned around and started jogging out of the room, more than likely do get suited up. Tony watched him go for a moment before turning his attention back to the two Gods – or really, back to the one God with the sexiest smirk Tony had ever seen. Thor was busying himself with adjusting a bit of his armour while Loki's emerald green eyes immediately connected to Stark's chocolate brown ones, that intensity building up yet again. They'd definitely have to have a talk about that when they were finished saving the world.

"Suit up, Man of Iron," Loki purred, his eyes slowing moving up and down Tony's body, those emerald greens resting on certain body parts longer than necessary. "You can't very well come out on top looking like that …"

Double meaning … there so wasn't any double meaning being implied there. And if Tony left the room in a hurry, it was to put on the Iron Man suit, not take care of another problem that was building since the second Loki's eyes locked on his.

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The scenes from the street cameras had nothing on the actual downtown Manhattan. Stepping out of the quinjet on a low roof, the Avengers immediately rushed from the flying contraption, the only one not leaving was Bruce, who perched himself on the opened door, shoving an earpiece in his ear so he could keep up with what was going on. Captain America, Black Widow, and Iron Man all quickly made their way down to the streets where helpless people were scurrying around, none knowing what to do or where to go to keep out of danger. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Hawkeye made quick at getting to his designated spot, all the while shooting off information about strange sightings that was occurring. And while everyone was getting into place, Loki and Thor materialized right in the middle of the disaster zone with no fear.

With a content smile gracing her features, Amora continued to fling light green energy balls at moving targets, whether they are cars or people. Sometimes she aimed to tease, enjoying the way the mortals screamed out in fear and panicked all the more. Other times, she aimed to kill, and she relished in the way their shouts of terror immediately cut off when the light green energy struck them down. It was all for a purpose, though, and Amora could already sense that her preys were closing in. What she didn't expect, however, was glancing over to find Loki Odinson walking towards her with his brother at his side. There were rumours all around that the youngest Odinson had switched sides, but she never really listened to ridiculous gossip. But now it seemed as though they were true, because there was no trace of the evil God of Mischief from months ago, the one that tried to enslave Midgard.

"Well, well," Amora started as a way of greeting. Her voice was airy and sweet, but there was no mistaking the underlining of power within her words. "Now this is a surprise. Loki, you grow handsomer with every time we meet."

"What are you doing, Amora?" Thor questioned while his brother put up a shield around the three of them, efficiently cutting the world out so no more light green energy balls could escape. "What is your purpose on Midgard?"

Humming softly to herself, Amora slowly walked around the edges of the shield the God of Mischief placed around them, her fingers skimming over the green – a darker shade than her own. She could feel the power from the shield slipping into the pores of her skin, sinking down into her very soul, and she relished in the fact that Loki hadn't noticed that his way of protecting everyone on the outside was actually making her stronger, thus putting them in even more danger that what he thought.

"There is something that I want that is here on Midgard … something that is protected by a great deal of magic," The sorceress said, her striking blue-green eyes finally focusing in on the two Gods that had slowly separated while she was in tune with Loki's magic. "There are too many obstacles, however, that will prolong my desires."

"Which is …?" Loki prompted, suddenly feeling a lack in his shield. He was fully attuned to Amora enough that he could pull his gaze from the sorceress, and he locked them on the shield around them and onto the action that was happening around them.

There was no secret that his powers had been bound several months ago when he tried to take over the world. Only recently had Odin finally eased up on that and allowed Loki access to the magic that defined him, but even still, his magic was nothing than what it used to be. Although he was incredibly strong with what magic he had now, he was still lacking what he was used to. But even though he was lacking, there was a difference between that and what he was feeling now.

It clicked too soon, and before he was able to shout out a warning to his brother, an energy wave crashed into them both, sending them flying in different directions. Thor slammed into a car, the velocity of the hit moving the car back several feet while the metal sank around the weight. Mjolnir fell out of his grip and hit the asphalt with a crack. Loki slammed into a broken piece of metal from a ramp that would have impaled him if he weren't wearing his armour. Regardless of the protection, though, the force of the hit slammed him into it, and the piece of metal did pierce the amour, jabbing several inches into Loki's stomach.

Everything that happened after was quick. Loki had slowly pulled himself away from the metal, not wanting to agitate the wound any more than necessary, and was only slightly startled when someone shouted his name. No sooner did he hear the shout did he feel a pair of metallic arms wrapping around him, a red metal hand pressing on top of the hand that was pressed against the wound, trying to stop the flow of blood. On any other given circumstance, Loki would have marveled at the thought of Tony Stark's arms wrapped around him, but there was just something about Amora's behaviour that was off, which was why he barely heard Stark's voice as he scanned the area for the sorceress. It didn't take him long to find her, which was a relief, but where she was at, however, was a different story.

Standing on a familiar looking rooftop, Amora was ever so slowing making her way to Clint, whose attention was directed towards the ground. Loki wrenched himself from Iron Man's grip and was able to shout a warning with enough time for Hawkeye to spin around, an arrow notched on his bow. Running from rooftop to rooftop was Bruce, coming to Clint's aid. He had an advantage being behind Amora – or that's what they thought. Just as Bruce was getting ready to hulk out – and just as Loki realized that the sorceress was mumbling something under her breath – Amora reached out with inhuman speed and knocked the bow and arrow out of Barton's hand, wrapping her own around his neck, pulling him closer to her. A second later, she spun around and threw a light green energy ball at Bruce right before he could hulk out, knocking him back and out of sight. Sensing what was about to happen to him, Clint's arm shot out, slamming into the chest of Amora, hoping to escape her grip, but to no avail. Throwing Hawkeye to the ground, the same fate that happened to Bruce fell onto Clint.

"No!"

No one noticed Natasha ever getting onto the rooftop, but after witnessing the attack on Clint and Bruce, the rest of the Avengers spurred into action. Thor, who had detached himself from the car, immediately started swinging his hammer before shooting up into the sky with Captain America in his grip. Iron Man once again wrapped his arms around Loki before shooting them up into the sky, as well. The act took fifteen seconds at most, but by the time they got on the rooftop, Amora was gone, and in her place was what looked to be an unconscious sixteen-year old version of Bruce Banner, a thirteen-year old version of Natasha Romanoff, and a two-year old version of Clint Barton.

"… What the fuck just happened?" Tony exclaimed after a moment, his eyes going from his best science buddy to Clint to Natasha. Normally, Tony Stark wasn't struck speechless, but as he raised the face-guard of his helmet, and as he blinked his eyes several times to be sure his eyes weren't deceiving him, Iron Man had absolutely no idea what to say. "What the fuck!"

"Tony," Loki's elbow connected to Tony's side before he slowly walked over to the little boy with an arrow in his hands and a quiver on his back. The bottom lip of Clint Barton immediately started trembling as Loki drew closer with a concerned look in his eyes, and the child quickly scrambled to his feet when the God of Mischief fell on one knee and curled up into the welcoming arms.

The grunt of pain did not go unnoticed to Tony as he watched Loki moving closer to the child, and as he watched as the God fell to one knee, he moved fast to join his side. He stopped short when the two-year old version of Clint scurried into Loki's arms, unsure of how to handle the situation. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the child, but then his chocolate brown eyes caught something red dripping onto the roof and knew that Loki was still bleeding from the wound on his stomach. He came onto his knees beside Clint and Loki and placed a hand on the small of the God's back, drawing his attention. "Hey, we need to get you taken care of. You're bleeding."

Nodding his head, Loki sighed as he looked around. Steve had taken to Bruce's side, trying to wake up the sixteen-year old teenager, who kept slapping his hand whenever he came close. Shifting his gaze, the God could see Thor at Natasha's side, gently nudging and helping her into a seated position. Turning his own focus to the little boy who had buried his face into Loki's side, the God of Mischief had absolutely no idea what to think.

"We are – as you Midgardians say – so fucked up."

* * *

_** Once again, I must apologize for taking so long to get this chapter out! You all know how school can be. I've been drowning in coursework since I started. I hope this is up to your satisfactory, though! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of it!**_

_** Also, I know a good lot of you will probably hate me for saying this, but for the time being, **__Slow Motion__** and **__Breath of Life: Story 1 __**will temporarily be put on hold. At the moment, I'm having the hardest time getting those stories progressing. I know what I want to go into them, but I'm having a difficult time getting it to come out the way I want it. So, for now, until I have more time to properly work through the kinks, the stories will be on hold. **_

_** And finally – I know this is completely stupid – but there will be yet another story coming out soon. I'm thinking sometime this week, probably in the next few days. Keep a look out. Yes, I know I'm completely crazy and have lost my mind, especially after putting two on hold, but like I've said before, once those ideas grab a hold of you, it's so impossible to not act and get them out. My lovely Poppy person is helping me gather my thoughts about it, so we'll see how it goes. **_

_** Thanks for reading! I hope you like! **_


	3. Chapter 2: What to Expect

_** Thanks – **cara-tanaka**, **survivor girl1**, **Loki-Vainglorious**, **SeftimiuNumber XVI**, **GodsOfMischiefIntellectArts**, **Wow**, **Skarlettefox**, and **Orlandoslover2009** – for your amazing reviews! They were so much fun to read!**_

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO  
**What to Expect When You Weren't Expecting

_The first thing Tony did after their meeting with Nick Fury was drag the God of Mischief into the lab that was set up as a small hospital wing in the Tower. He recalled Loki's words about healing faster than humans and that his magic aided him in that progression, but Tony was adamant about making sure – or at least that's what he told everyone else when they questioned him. Of course, they seemed to believe him, which was why none of them stopped Tony as he pulled at Loki's arm, urging him to move faster. A low chuckle sounded behind him and Tony growled as he yanked the God even more, realizing that Loki was moving slow on purpose._

_The door at the very end of the hallway came into view when they finally turned the corner, and Tony all but dragged Loki to it, the grip he had on the God of Mischief's arm more than likely bruised after the abuse. They'd have to make sure it wasn't seen by the others at a later time, but at that moment, the last thing on Tony's mind was a bruise. He swung the door open and shoved Loki roughly into the room before slamming the door shut behind him._

_"Tony, I –" Loki started, a smirk on his face as he righted himself and faced the Man of Iron, but his words were cut short when Tony grabbed his face and pulled him to him, his lips slamming into the God's in a brutal kiss. Teeth clashed with teeth, biting at lips and poking at gums, but neither man nor God relented in their assault until the need for air became too great. Finally, Loki pulled away, the smirk still plastered across his face as he gasped for breath. "My, my, Stark, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you desire me."_

_"Desire you, have a sudden need to fuck you – whichever works," Tony shrugged his shoulders before attacking Loki's neck, his teeth biting into pale, sensitive flesh, eliciting a surprised yelp that soon turned into a pleasurable moan as Tony's tongue lapped and sucked at the mark that he just made. Thin fingers slowly made their way up Tony's body, glazing up his neck before weaving into his brown hair. "God … taste so fucking good …"_

_"Hmm, yes … I can't wait to taste you."_

_"Fuck," Tony moaned against Loki's neck, kissing a trail up his pale neck, along his jaw line, and finally, his lips._

_"Oh, yes, fuck, indeed," Loki said against his lips, the smirk growing even more as he pushed his tongue into Tony's warm mouth. One arm was wrapped around Tony's neck while the other snaked down his body, thin fingers going over grooves, memorizing every inch that he touched._

_The kiss turned slow, Tony and Loki tasting and acquainting themselves with one another's bodies. It was nice and just when the God of Mischief was really getting into it, Tony suddenly pushed him away, his back connecting with the side of the hospital bed that was stationed in the middle of the room. A look of shock flitted across his face as he took in Tony's harsh expression, but upon further analysis, deep down in those chocolate brown eyes, he could see the true meaning. That didn't stop him from playing along, though, and he continued to appear shocked and uncertain as Tony slowly stepped forward, pressing his covered hard-on against Loki's. There was no stopping the moan as it slipped past his lips, but Tony's hand clamping down over his mouth while his free hand was placed down on the hospital mattress, leaving him leaning over Loki, did._

_His breath was hot against his face as Loki peered up at Tony, his mouth watering at the hungry look of desire in those chocolate brown eyes. Swallowing heavily, the God remained still, waiting for Tony's next move. "I'll do the fucking," His words were soft, but held with such power and authority, it left no room for negotiations. Four words were all it took to have Loki squirming in his place, his green eyes darkening in arousal. He reached for Tony, his hands just touching his chest before it was yanked back, slammed and held down by Tony's free hand. "No. You don't get to touch me – not yet. Now …" He removed the hand that was over Loki's mouth, but yanked down at his wrist, bringing the God to his knees. "Why don't you put that Silvertongue to good use and start sucking."_

_A look of shock appeared on Loki's face, his cheeks reddening just a bit at his current position. He was a Prince of Asgard and he was on his knees before some mortal, who was trying to degrade him. The shock dissipated and the anger started to come, but there was a hint of arousal that was coming back, as well … something about the way Tony was pushing and shoving him around that was making the bulge in his pants tighten and strain all the more. Emerald green eyes flickered to Tony's arousal, and he slowly found the zipper and button, taking his time to free him from his restraints. Tan fingers threaded through his hair and Loki momentarily closed his eyes and relished in the gentle touch, only to be snapped back into reality when those fingers clenched his hair, yanking his head back._

_"Suck."_

_Narrowing his eyes slightly, Loki waited until Tony released him before moving back to the task at hand. His fingers trailed up Tony's thighs, wrapping around the band of his boxers, and slowly pulling them down, Tony's hard-on freed and as big as Loki imagined. He stared for a moment, his emerald green eyes darkening as his lust intensified before glancing up at Tony. The order was given through those chocolate brown eyes, and Loki shifted slightly, his knees protesting slightly on the hard floor. Taking a deep breath, Loki leaned in and –_

"Tony, you okay?"

The Genius/Billionaire/Playboy/Philanthropist started, his eyes flying open when a hand was placed on his shoulder. With his faculties back in order, it didn't take Tony long to realize that he was in a black SUV that SHIELD had issued to bring them back to Stark Tower. The slight pain in his neck was evidence enough. Rubbing his eyes, Tony took a minute to push back his dream long enough to register who was talking to him. Steve. The man was still looking at him with a wary, concerned look on his face.

"Sorry, Capsicle … must have dozed off," Tony yawned, reaching over to unfasten his seatbelt. A quick look around showed that he was the only one left inside.

"At least you were getting some. I doubt any of us will be getting any sleep for the time being," Steve sighed and rubbed the back of his head while Tony climbed out of the SUV, saluting the man behind the wheel before closing the door and slapping the car. "We are going to have a run for our money with this new threat."

Letting out a sigh of his own, Tony allowed the memories of what happened a few hours ago come back to him, and he knew that the Captain was certainly right. With Amora threatening the city on some witch hunt, until they knew exactly what they were up against, the Avengers had to be alert and ready for the next attack. Of course, that made things rather difficult when three of the seven Avengers were two, thirteen, and sixteen. Not only that, but another Avenger took a pretty nasty hit and was gutted by a piece of metal that was sticking up from the ground, so that left them with … three and a half?

"Don't sweat it, Cap," Tony finally said, offering the Man out of Time a Stark-smile, his arm wrapping around Steve's as they started towards the rest of the Avengers who were standing in front of the Tower, surrounding the kids. The last thing any of them wanted was for the press to catch wind that the Avengers were turning into children. Oh, that would not be good at all. "We've defeated an entire army of aliens. I'm pretty sure we can –"

Several things happened all at once – a group of five girls started screaming at the sight of the Avengers, all of them running towards the group that was still standing outside of Stark Tower. Being the egotistical bastard that he was, Tony stepped away from Steve who was as stiff as a board at that point, and started walking towards the girls with a smirk on his lips that was immediately wiped off when they rushed right past them and stood in front of Loki, who looked on with raised eyebrows. He looked unsure of what to do, his emerald green eyes casting hesitant looks towards Tony and Thor. Only before he could say or do anything, one by one, the girls all fell to their knees before him. Nothing happened at first. No one really had any idea about how to respond to such action, but Loki was the first to recover. Stepped away from his brother's side, the God of Mischief slowly made his way to the five girls, a familiar looking smirk playing across his lips as a dark chuckle sounded. From where he was standing, Tony could easily see the five girls all shivering with excitement and, as Loki stopped before them, a very familiar picture played out before him – Loki kneeling down before him, his emerald green eyes full of lust and arousal …

"What are you mortals doing?" Loki questioned, his gaze moving from girl to girl, a confused look on his face, though he did nothing to hide his amusement.

"Bowing to our king," The girl in the middle answered, her breath coming out in pants as she continued to stare up at him. It looked like she was getting ready to pounce at any moment.

"What the hell?" Enough was enough in Tony's mind – and he wasn't still thinking about a particular dream he had while he was in the SUV … definitely not. Shaking his head, Tony took a hold of Loki's forearm and pushed him back, putting himself in between him and the five girls, who may or may not have looked like they were getting ready to take him down for removing Loki. "What are you doing? Get off the ground and stop whatever the hell it is you're playing at. Loki isn't taking over the world. Jeez, you would really bow before the guy who would subjugate you?" One look at the girls' faces answered that question. He sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Steve was right – no more sleep. "Thor, please take Loki inside before we're overrun by fangirls."

"Don't be jealous, because these lovely ladies are here for me and not you, Anthony," Loki purred, winking at the girls, causing all of them to swoon on their knees.

Normally, Tony Stark would not allow the God of Mischief to get away with such a comment, but for once, Loki was right, if only partially. Not that he would indulge Loki on that fact. He wasn't jealous because the five girls were there to see Loki – if anything that was good publicity for the God. It showed that he was indeed changed and not hell-bent on taking over their world. It showed that he was a good guy, someone who was there to protect it. On the other hand, however, Tony couldn't help but feel … well he didn't really know how he felt. The dream he had felt so vivid, and he couldn't help but wonder how it would really feel to kiss and hold and fuck him. The idea of fucking a God sent a chill running down his spine, and it took everything he had to not react to such thoughts. So yeah, maybe he was a little jealous.

Instead, Tony rolled his eyes and started waving the five girls up and away. "Get lost before I call security on you. Go on, be gone with you," With nothing further to add, Tony motioned for Steve to get a move on and turned back to Loki who was smirking as he bent down to pick Clint up. And no, Tony Stark wasn't checking out the God of Mischief's ass. That was practically suicide, especially with the God's brother standing right beside him, his sparkling blue eyes trained directly on him. Certain times, Tony had to admire Thor – he was a good guy with a genuine heart, who really and truly wanted the best for his brother. It was something that Tony was a bit envious about, having been an only child, but at times like these, when all he really wanted to do was stand there and stare at Loki's ass, it really made things difficult. Besides, the last thing he wanted was for his innards to be spewed all over the sidewalk, because he was imagining inappropriate thoughts. So, pushing that to the back of his mind, Tony sent the God of Thunder a charming smile and patted him on the back before motioning towards the Tower. "Shall we? We need to get these kids out of the public eye."

"Oh, my God, I am not a kid!" Natasha ugh'ed and rolled her eyes when Thor nodded his head and put a hand on her shoulder, directing her into the Tower. "Like, I'm so over this already.'

"She's going to be a feisty one," Tony shook his head and pointed a finger at Thor. "You're in charge of her."

"Me?" Thor, for good measure, looked behind himself, just to make sure that it was him Tony was pointing at. When he realized that to be true, his shoulders sagged for just a moment before he straightened them back up with a nod of his head. "On my life, I vow to protect this child by which threatens her."

"I'm thirteen!"

"By Asgard, Thor, we are only watching them until we have a way of changing them back to their original forms. Come now," Loki urged, motioning for Natasha to get into the Tower already. He didn't look all that nervous, either, which was a good thing. No one knew if she – or Clint and Bruce – had their skill set or not, but either way, it was probably best to pretend that they did. None of the remaining adult Avengers wanted to get their asses handed to them by a teenager.

Rubbing the back of his neck nervously, Steve looked over towards Bruce, who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, an odd look on his face. The Man out of Time cleared his throat and offered Bruce a small smile, inwardly sighing in relief when the smile was returned. He motioned towards the house. "Shall we?"

Bruce shrugged his shoulders and started after Tony, who was trained at Loki's side. "Sure, whatever," He said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

* * *

With a grunt, Loki leant down and set the two-year old version of Clint down on the floor, slowly straightening up, feeling the sharp pang of pain spasming around the wound. Normally, he had his magic to aid him in the progression of his healing, but the AllFather had yet to give him complete control over it, which was why he could still feel the blood oozing from the wound. The agents at SHIELD had cleaned it and bandaged it as best as they could, but Loki knew he'd have to get it changed and wrapped again.

A small moan sounded from below him, and Loki glanced down to see that Clint had yet to move from his side, that tiny hand balled into a fist, clenching his green cape. Cocking his head to the side, Loki simply observed the small child, sensing how scared and in need of attention he was. When Clint looked as though he was getting ready to start crying, Loki offered his hand to the two-year old, who gladly accepted it, leaning fully against him, his finger going straight to his mouth.

"Is he alright?" Tony asked from his side, his usually cocky chocolate brown eyes turned serious as he stared down at the child.

"I think the child is fine right now," Loki answered. "He is just not used to his surroundings, is all."

Stark hummed in response, remaining silent for a moment longer before turning his attention away from Clint, casting it fully on Loki. "And how are you? Are you doing okay? You took a pretty nasty hit."

"I fare well, Stark," Loki replied. "We must do something with these children. We need to discuss what we are going to do for the time being. Until Amora is caught, they might be in danger."

The next thirty minutes were spent trying to put everyone in rooms that were up to their satisfactory. The two-year old version of Clint was adamant about being in whatever room that was closest to Loki and that was after the God convinced him to have his own room. The poor child had an absolute fit, refusing to let go of Loki. Baby Clint had an unusual attachment to the God of Mischief and that was surprising unto itself. Natasha … Natasha was a pain in the ass, to be frank, about finding a room that fit her needs. She wanted the best view the Tower could provide, she wanted her rooms – yes, rooms – to be red themed, with elegant features, and the not annoying thirteen-year old wanted electronics. Tony Stark was never afraid of running out of money, but God, he was getting worried now. After getting Jarvis to order her an iPhone, iPad, iPod, Kindle Fire, getting her a new laptop and a desktop, it took a great deal of effort to talk her out of getting anything else. And after promising that they would paint her two rooms the colour that she wanted, Natasha finally relented and agreed to the room that was not so coincidentally a few doors down from Thor's. It surprised everyone when Bruce made no quarrel when it was his turn to find a room. Because he was older – and because no one wanted to be around the sixteen-year old when he got pissed off – Tony found Bruce a decent sized room that was on the second level of his living quarters. After the room was given to him, Bruce went inside, locked the door, and was silent.

Thirty minutes later, Tony, Thor, Steve, Loki, and Clint – who refused to remove himself from Loki's lap – were sitting in a spacious living room. For a good few minutes, the adults stared at Clint, who was running his finger around the grooves of Loki's armour oblivious to the attention he was being given. His small free hand was holding tightly to Loki's finger.

"Can someone please tell me what just happened here," Steve finally said, breaking the silence, though his voice was soft. "I mean … is this even possible here? Are we all just losing our minds? Is this an illusion?"

"I can assure you, Captain, this is no illusion," Loki replied, one arm wrapped around Clint's waist, ensuring that the two-year old wouldn't fall off his lap and land on the floor. "I know of magic that can transport one-self and others to different Realms – as you know, I use it quite often. I know of magic that can alter reality, but I know very little of that which can turn back time like this," His brows furrowing in concentration as he stared down at the two-year old version of Clint. "Magic like this is powerful and taxing, so I am fairly confident that we will not see Amora for a while."

"And in the meantime, we need to figure out her goal here. She's not just turning us into kids, because she's bored. She wants something. We need to figure out what," Tony said his arm casually draped over the back of the couch. Only after he received an odd glance from Thor did he realize that he was sitting rather close to Loki. He cleared his throat, looking over to Steve before turning his attention back to Thor. He needed them to keep talking. "Do you have any idea what she is planning, Point Break?"

It was a minute before Thor said anything, and in that moment, Tony's heart was thundering quickly in a dangerous, his fists clenched tightly into balls at the thought of what Thor would do to him if he had any idea what the man was actually thinking whenever he looked at his brother. Thankfully, though, the silence wasn't the God of Thunder putting the pieces together, but simply sorting out his mind, pondering over every little suspicious fact that happened before Amora was casted out of Asgard. Nothing came to mind, though, and that was just as infuriating as anything else, because, until they knew exactly what the sorceress wanted, there was no way of turning Bruce, Clint, or –

"OMG, BRUCE, I HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW – UGH!" Natasha screamed at the top of her lungs. The only indication – besides that horrendous scream – that the thirteen-year old was coming towards them would have been the pounding of her feet against the expensive hardwood floorings. "YOU ARE THE WORST BROTHER EVER!"

Brows furrowed as all of the adults turned and gave each other odd looks before Natasha stormed into her room, her cheeks flushed, her blue eyes flashing dangerously as she glowered at the three men in the room before said gaze rested on the Captain. "Uncle Steve, you really need to straighten out your son before I shove my fist so far up his –"

"Natasha!" Thor reprimanded his voice – surprisingly – stern as he stared at the thirteen-year old with a disappointed look on his face. "That is no way for a lady to speak. Mind your words carefully."

If the 'Uncle Steve' and the 'your son' bit went unnoticed to everyone in the room, the next words out of Natasha's mouth certainly didn't, and it was all Loki needed for his mind to immediately start putting all of the clues into place. He groaned quietly, drawing Tony's attention from the thirteen-year old to the God he was sitting beside, his eyebrows raising in question as Loki absentmindly started rubbing Clint's back, who had whimpered softly at Loki's sudden change of mood. No one had noticed the little interaction, however; they were too preoccupied with what Natasha said next.

"But dad," She whined, going so as to stomping her foot on the ground. "I have tried to be nice to him, but he isn't listening to me! He has his emo music on, blaring so loudly, and I asked him to turn it down, but he only turns it up even more. I can't concentrate or do anything, because it's so loud!"

His once calm countenance soon turned to one of sheer shock and panic, his sparkling blue eyes widening as his head spun around, trying to catch his brother's eyes. Even though they were all clueless as to what was going on or why Amora had attacked in such a fashion, Loki Odinson was perceptive enough to catch onto thinks rather quickly, and it would be to no surprise of Thor's if he was able to figure out what was going on with this. He was definitely not expecting Natasha – one of SHIELD's best assassins – calling him 'dad'. That was just … not at all what he was expecting, and he had absolutely no idea what and how to think about it.

"DON'T IGNORE ME, OMG! I NEED YOU AND YOU'RE JUST IGNORING ME!" Natasha's temper seemed to get the best of her, and the thirteen-year old ugh'ed rather loudly as she turned around and ran out of the room, her curses and shouts – which were more directed to her frustrations with Bruce than to Thor – sounding throughout the hall. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, BRUCE!"

"I will explain when you all get back," Loki said, standing, keeping Clint propped up on his hip. "Thor, Captain, best you go deal with that situation before the doctor turns into that monster of his."

Nothing really needed to be said after that. As if it just occurred to them that it could happen, the God of Thunder and Captain America jumped from their seats and ran as fast as they could in the direction Natasha just took off into. Only when they were out of sight and earshot did Tony stand up and step closer to Loki, his eyes a mixture of confusion and concern.

"Loks, what's going on?"

"They think we are their parents, Stark," Loki replied with a sigh, his eyes turning down to Clint's story, grey ones that were peering back up at him. "Natasha thinks Thor is her father, because he was the first face she saw when she woke up. The same is said for Bruce."

"And Clint saw us."

"No, he saw me first," Loki said, a small smile gracing his features. It was softer and more personal than Tony had ever seen it, and it took him a moment to clear his head before tuning into what else he was saying. "You came to check on me and that's when he saw you, as well. Connections are a very strong thing to dissuade, Stark. Clint believes us to be his parents."

* * *

_** So, I'm in love with the first part of this chapter, but the rest … not so much. But it's been proven several times that the chapters I felt I could be better on were what the readers loved, so I'll guess we'll see if this is true. **_

**_ Please review and let me know what you think! I adore getting all constructive criticism!_ **


	4. Chapter 3: Raising Natasha

_**Wow! Thanks – **__cara-tanaka__**, **__survivor girl1__**, **__FireSenshi2__**, **__Assunicorn__**, **__ClockworkMystery__**, **__The White Knight's Girl__**, **__Legend__**, **__teamrosalie21137__**, **__Mine6Chan__**, **__Escaped Ninja__**, **__bluejeanhorse__**, **__marianne__**, **__icis182__**, **__BioTrance__**, **__cynthiacyvon__**, **__jeanette9a__**, **__LaPirataAna__**, and **__MilkyWayGalaxy__** – for all of your wonderful reviews, and thank you to my anonymous reviewer! You guys truly are amazing! **_

_** And, once again, I'm so sorry for this taking so long! I hope it was worth the wait!**_

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE  
**Raising Natasha

Rubbing his eyes tiredly with the heel of his hand, Tony yawned as he made his way down the hallway, his feet padding against the hardwood floor, walking in the direction of the kitchen. His thoughts were lost in a dreamland, where he mingled over the softness of his pillow and of a few tweaks he wanted to make on his Iron Man suit. He should have expected someone in the kitchen, after all Steve was always the first one up, waiting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in one hand, the newspaper in another, and with a huge smile on his face with a chipper 'good morning' ready on his tongue, but for some reason, Tony was just too lost in sleep to realize that Steve wasn't sitting at the table.

Turning the final corner, Tony noticed two things. The first was that there was some weird ass – or what he considered to be weird ass – music playing in the background. He had no idea who was singing or what, but the second thing that caught his chocolate brown eyes was Loki. With baby Clint perched on his hip, eyes puffy and full of sleep, the two-year old was whining softly, as though he wasn't feeling well – that or he just didn't want to get up. Feeling more awake, Tony then turned his gaze back to Loki. It was obvious that the God had no idea that he had company, because if he did then he would have immediately stopped dancing to the music. Or maybe he wouldn't. It appeared that that was the only thing that was keeping Clint from crying his little eyes out. The child was having a bad morning and being in Loki's arms seemed to be the only thing that was calming the urge to cry.

He couldn't help but smile at the sight before him. Tony Stark never thought of himself as being domesticated, but for just a second, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to wake up every morning with this scene before him. He had to admit, it was sort of appealing. Of course, that scene was crushed at the sound of Loki's voice, gentle, because of Clint, but with enough warning to ward off an entire army of evading aliens.

"Stark, I suggest you get what you need and get out."

"And leave this precious sight without at least taking a picture?" Loki should really know him by now. Honestly, the God of Mischief had it coming half of the time he thought threatening Tony would make him do anything he wanted, but boy was he wrong now. "Jarvis, video tape this for me. I would love to watch it with the rest of the family."

Emerald green eyes flashed dangerously, and if Tony wasn't so freaking amused at the sight of a God holding a two-year old, he probably would have gotten the hell out of dodge, but as it was, he simply walked over and sat down at the kitchen table, the smirk on his face growing even more when baby Clint made another whining noise, Loki's attention turning back to the child, his expression immediately softening. He pressed a kiss to the side of his head, gently bobbing him up and down as he turned his back on Stark, pulling a tea cup from the cabinet, and placing it on the counter. While he worked on the preparation for his morning tea – the God refused to do a damn thing unless he had his cup of tea – Tony busied himself with not staring at Loki's ass, but making faces at the two-year old in the God's arms, the smiles and giggles refreshing as opposed to the whining and sniffling he woke up to.

"Make me a cup of coffee, would you, dear?" Tony asked, earning himself one hell of a glare.

Loki leaned down and placed Clint on the floor, the child looking like he would immediately burst into tears if he was not picked up right that second, but a gently smile from Loki and a nod of his head in Tony's general direction caused the child to pause. "Go to T- … daddy. Go to daddy, Clint."

"Daddy…" Clint said, his voice muffled by the two fingers he put into his mouth. With his free hand, he reached for Loki's while his stormy blue-gray eyes searched for Tony's and, despite how _not_ sentimental he was, Stark couldn't help how his heart seemed to do this little flip-floppy thing when Clint smiled at him. "Daddy …"

"Hey, kid," Tony smiled. He leaned forward in his seat, his arms opening wide. The sight of Clint scrambling to get to Tony was pretty cute, and that was not a word Tony Stark threw around all the time. He had to admit it, though, he rather enjoyed seeing how happy the kid was when he was looking at him – but he was Tony Stark, so who wouldn't be happy at the sight of him … "Aren't you just a needy little thing."

"Good morning," A new voice floated into the kitchen, and both adults turned to see Steve walking in, a tired smile on his face. He was handling everything much better than what he previous thought, but after becoming a Super Soldier, fighting HYDRA and Red Skull, sleeping for seventy years, and fighting off an alien race brought on by their very own Loki, Steve figured that normal just wasn't normal, so he tried not to be shocked when crazy shit happened. Besides, he spent half the night trying to get Bruce to turn down his emo music – and what was emo music anyway?

"Good morning, Captain," Loki greeted, turning and leaning his hip against the counter while he stirred milk in his tea. He picked up Tony's freshly made cup of coffee and took a sip of it before walking it over to the table where Stark was sitting at, and placed it in the middle, away from Clint's grabby hands, and turned to the Super Soldier while absently rubbing the child's back. "Would you like me to prepare you anything?"

"A cup of coffee could be nice," Steve answered after a moment, a bashful look on his face.

"Of course," Loki replied, nodding his head.

"Thanks," He replied, looking more relaxed. He yawned and turned his attention to Tony, who was busy bobbing Clint on his knee, making the oddest of faces he had ever seen. Of course, upon realizing that he was being watched, Tony stopped, turning Clint to where his back was resting against his chest, and cleared his throat. "So …"

"I shall explain everything when Thor wakes up," Loki said from his place in the kitchen. He poured the boiling water in a cup before adding all of the necessary ingredients that Steve liked in his coffee before bringing it to him with a bowl and box of cereal all balanced together in that amazing way that only Loki would possess. "I would rather not repeat."

"But do you think you can reverse it?"

"I do not know. It takes an exceedingly amount of energy to muster to even transform one person into an object, but to rewind their time back as many years as Clint's? That is energy not even I have studied. Amora has been very busy."

"Which means she must have been planning this for a while now," Tony said, absently playing with Clint's hands, emanating giggles from the small child.

"But for what purpose, we have yet to discover."

"Why is mummy so negative?" Tony asked in a baby voice, his chocolate brown gaze looking down at Clint, who eager looked up at his daddy, stormy blue-gray eyes just as wide as that smile. "He is just so down all the time, isn't he?"

Emerald green eyes narrowed dangerously at being called 'mummy', but his attention was once again diverted when Thor came into the kitchen, his hair ruffled and so not what he usually looked like when he woke up in the morning. If possible, he was even more of a morning person that Steve was, and that was saying a lot. But by the look of his bed-hair and the sleepers still in his eyes, it was very clear that the God of Thunder had stayed up later than usual, as well.

"Good morning, my friends, brother," Thor greeted, his voice tired. He walked into the kitchen, placed a gently hand on the top of Clint's head, and sat down in the seat next to Tony, looking as though he would fall back asleep right then and there. He offered a grateful smile to Loki when a cup of coffee was placed in front of him with a box of assorted pop-tarts. "Thank you, Loki."

"You are welcome," Loki replied before nodding in Clint's direction. "Just be sure to keep the hot cup out of Clint's reach. We wouldn't want the child getting burnt."

"Before the other two get up …" Steve started, his gaze sharp and more awake now that he's had his morning cup of coffee, as he stared at Loki, leaving the sentence hanging in the air, knowing that the God of Mischief knew what he was hinting at.

And he did. With a sigh, he took the seat beside Thor and stared at the table for a moment, quickly trying to put his thoughts in order, but slow enough to where he wouldn't miss anything of vital importance. Of course, he didn't know as much as he would have liked, so what he had to say wasn't going to be as detailed or as helpful as they would have liked. They'd take what they could get, though. "I know not how she was able to master this, but she has turned Clint, Natasha, and Bruce into children. This is magic not even I can understand."

"But why do they think we're their parents, brother?" Thor asked, as he picked up his coffee, taking a generous gulp despite the heat. He seemed unaffected enough.

"It's probably an added affect the Enchantress through in to keep us preoccupied while she gathered her strength. The first person they see, they immediately think is their parent, which is why Natasha thinks that you are her father, Bruce Steve's," Loki replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Until we know more, we must keep them safe, though. I'm sure she will have no problem killing them should she get what she wants."

"And what does she want?" Steve asked, though he knew that question was going to go unanswered. None of them had a clue what Amora was up to, and that was what had them so unsettled. Protecting Bruce, Natasha, and Clint was one thing, but doing that while trying to figure out what the Enchantress was after was another thing entirely, which meant they had to be on guard all the time. 'The Avengers Initiative' went from having seven members to four, which meant they needed to take on even more responsibility to make up what the other three couldn't. Of course, all worries about what Amora was up to went down the drain when Bruce walked into the room, his pajamas wrinkled. His hair was just as disheveled as Thor's looked.

"Bruce, hey …" Steve greeted, not sure if he should get up and hug the sixteen-year old or just sit there and say something else. And if he had to say something else, what could he say?

"Hey," Bruce muttered, immediately making his way towards the fridge, not even bothering to give any of them looks, not even Clint who gave a happy squeal at the sight of him.

"Brucey, would you like Loki to fix you anything?" Tony piped up, not at all fazed by the fact that there was a hormonal rage-monster standing in his kitchen, raiding his refrigerator. The smirk on his face grew when Bruce sent him a tired glare over his shoulder before going back to examining the contents – or lack thereof – in the fridge, but his face faltered at the death glare Loki was sending him. Yeah, he definitely didn't need to deal with that. "Probably for the best, Loki's been slaving in the kitchen all morning. He needs a rest …"

Three sets of eyes turned to Steve, and he flushed when he realized that he was the 'father' and had to say something to the 'son'. Clearing his throat, the Super Soldier tried to think of something that would diffuse the awkwardness that had settled around the kitchen, but honestly, what were you supposed to say to a sixteen-year old? They were moody and angry all the time and Steve was no parent, so how was he supposed to know what to do? He sighed and stood from his place at the table, moving over towards the fridge where Bruce was still at, shoving his hands behind his back, trying to look as authoritative as possible, but also friendly, because he had to keep in mind that Bruce Banner – despite being a sixteen-year old – was also the Hulk, and the very last thing they needed was for him to get angry and destroy the kitchen in the presence of a two-year old.

"So, Bruce," Steve started, his voice shifting from shaky to frightened. Honestly, he was doing a brilliant job. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yeah," Bruce said, barely giving Steve the time of day when he finally decided what he wanted for breakfast. He pulled out a carton of eggs and placed them on the counter, before trifling through the cupboards, trying to find a frying pan.

"Do you need any help making breakfast?" Steve tried again, an awkwardly friendly smile on his face. "I could make the toast while you batter the eggs?"

"Dad…"

"Yes, Bruce?"

"Can you get out of the way?"

No one moved, not even Clint, who seemed to be watching as intently as everyone else. Steve blinked, looking as though he had no idea what to do, as though he was hoping that the floor would crack open and take him under. There was just something eerily blank about Bruce's stare, and he did not like it one bit, was terrified of it actually. But he finally snapped out of it when – _thankfully_ – Tony cleared his throat rather loudly, gaining his attention. He gave a nervous laughed and moved out of the way.

"Oh, yeah, of course, sorry," He rambled, the nervous laughing ceasing to stop as he fiddled with his hands, oblivious to Thor who was motioning wildly for Steve to get out of the kitchen. "Yeah, I'm the same way sometimes. I hate it when people are in the kitchen with me when I'm trying to get something done. It's like they are always getting in the way and you are pretending to be interested in what they are saying just to be nice, but you are secretly hoping they'll leave so you can have the peace and quiet you so desperately sought."

Bruce let out a rather impatient sigh as he stopped his search for a frying pan and turned to finally look at Steve. "So you won't mind too terribly if I asked you to get out then? I'm really not in the mood to deal with this."

"Oh … oh," Steve said, quickly making his way around the island, going back over to the kitchen table where the others were still sitting at. "Yeah, sorry, I'll just … be here if you need anything," He awkwardly finished before slamming his head on the table. There was silence for a few seconds before Clint started laughing.

"It could have gone worse," Tony started.

"Uncle Tony!"

"The pans are hanging above the island, kid!" Tony shouted back before turning his attention back to Steve. "He could have hulked out on us. Now wouldn't that just be the icing to our shitty cake?"

* * *

It was around lunchtime now and Thor had yet to see Natasha at all. Normally, he wouldn't really think twice about not seeing her – after all, she was a spy and the woman could move quickly and silently, so it wasn't really a big thing – but the fact was, she was a thirteen-year old, and Thor was playing the part of her father. He still couldn't believe that was the case, and he didn't even want to think about what Jane would think if she knew what was going on, but after listening to his brother's lecture about pretending until they figured out what to do, the God of Thunder decided that he should make his move now. After all, it was eleven fifty-three, and Steve liked to have all orders ready at noon so he could have all the meals prepared by twelve-thirty.

Coming to a stop outside of Natasha's door, Thor hesitated only for a minute before raising a balled up fist and knocked on the door. And he waited … and waited … and waiting a bit more. When eleven fifty-six came around, he started to get antsy, because the last time he was late giving Steve his order, the Super Soldier was none too happy. Steve was very patient and would bend over backwards to do anything for any of them, but he was a soldier and he lived off of a schedule and a little order. So, yeah, when Thor received no answer after the tenth time knocking, all bets were off. He was so not going to be forced to wash dishes, because of Natasha – kid or no kid!

"Daughter, I am coming in," Thor awkwardly called through the door. "If you are indecent, please cover yourself …"

When he heard no answer once more, the God of Thunder braced himself and pushed open the door. Two feelings came to the forefront of Thor's mind as he took in the room and Natasha lying on the bed with an I-pad in her lap, her I-pod playing really loud pop music in her ears. The first thought was annoyance, because – come on! She had to have heard him calling through the freaking door. Thor might be a lot of things, but the man knew he had a big mouth. The bed wasn't all that far from the door, either, so there were only so many excuses she could pull on that one. The second thought that crossed his mind was really a combination of two sensations, because he didn't quite know how to feel – looking around the room, covering almost every square inch of wall-space, were pictures of Hawkeye.

Now, at first, Thor would have liked to think that perhaps she was just a huge fan of their Archer. Who wasn't, right? But after further observation, he happened to notice that some of those pictures had hearts around Clint's face, and on the side of some photos had _Clintasha_ written across them. Thor was no expert, but he figured they had themselves a bit of a problem.

"Oh, my God, what are you doing in here!?" Natasha suddenly shrieked, ripping the ear-phones out of her ears, a glare crossing her countenance. "There is this thing called knocking! You should try it sometime!"

"I … you fixed your room up nicely," Thor struggled to say, his eyes going from picture to picture. Ideas were forming in his head, ideas that would include his brother using some of his magic to get whatever thoughts were out of his daughter's head, because what was happening was so not going to be good. "When did you do this?"

"Do you like!?" Natasha immediately perked up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and standing up, making her way to her father's side, her eyes swiping over the room, a dreamy look on her face.

"Uh … LOKI, I NEED YOU NOW!"

"Um, ow," Natasha said, rubbing her ear.

Thor chuckled nervously. "Sorry …"

From down the hall, the two could hear the sound of a baby crying, Tony cursing and yelping immediately after. The sound of footsteps could be heard coming their way and from the sound of them, they didn't appear to be all too happy. Loki soon rounded the corner, a tired, yet slightly annoyed look on his face.

"What, brother?" Loki asked, sighing.

"I thought you would like to see how Natasha decorated her room," Thor said, grabbing Loki's arm and pulling him inside. "I think she did a lovely job at decorating, but I do not think this is what a young lady should have on her walls. What do you think?"

Loki rolled his eyes as he scanned the room, taking in all of the pictures. Though pictures of his grown-up baby on the wall of Thor's daughter's room was a little – a lot – disturbing, Loki was mostly rolling his eyes at how not-so subtle Thor was trying to be about what he was actually trying to say. Hell, even Natasha could see that Thor was trying to convey another message. The grip he had on Loki, too, was bordering on frantic.

Instead of addressing Thor, Loki turned to Natasha and gave her a stern look. "Your uncle Tony isn't going to be very pleased when he sees what you've done to his wall."

"Um, I don't see him sleeping in this room. This is _my_ room," The sass on this girl was astounding, and Thor had absolutely no idea how to control that. He immediately looked at Loki, his face going pink.

"Excuse me?" Loki demanded. His eyebrows rose in irritation. "First of all, _little girl_, you will watch who you are talking to, is that understood?"

Loki's tone screamed authority, and Thor was seriously seconds away from answering him himself, because Natasha seemed to be testing the waters on his patience. She wasn't going to win at all, and Thor was desperate to answer for her, because she was going to get a verbal lashing like no other if she didn't stop trying to find a weakness in his brother.

_There was none. _

"I said do you understand!?"

Natasha _finally_ – Thor was seriously getting ready to _die_ – broke eye contact and lowered her head in defeat, though she was definitely angry. "Yes," She mumbled, glaring at the floor.

"I'm sorry? I didn't quite hear you. Perhaps if you looked me in the eye and say it a bit louder, I would hear you better."

Sighing angrily, Natasha looked up at Loki and glared, but the look on Loki's face was just as harsh. She straightened up seconds later, choosing instead of reign in her angry. "Yes, I understood."

"Good. Now, go into the kitchen and give your order to Uncle Steve. You know how he gets."

Without another word to them, Natasha pushed past Thor and Loki and walked out of the room, mumbling to herself. Thor couldn't understand what she was saying, but Loki certainly did, because he pushed past Thor, too, and stood in the doorway.

"Hey! When lunch is done you will be cleaning that kitchen spotless, young lady! And if I hear another word out of you then the kitchen is not the only place you will be cleaning!" Sighing in annoyance, Loki then turned and punched Thor hard in the shoulder. "What was that!?"

"OW!" Thor pouted, rubbing at his tender arm, a confused look on his face. "What have I done, brother?"

"You are the parent here. Do not let her talk to us like that."

"I thought you had that well under control. I did not want to impose on your scolding."

Loki rolled his eyes. There simply weren't enough hours in the day for this. "It doesn't matter, Thor. _You_ are _her_ father. _You_ are the one who is supposed to make _her_ listen first and foremost, not I. I am merely her uncle. Did you see what she did there? She was trying to gain ground. Do not let her do that. You are the parent, which means you are on top. Do not be afraid to get angry with her."

"I shall try my best, brother," Thor sighed. They weren't even a day into this mess and he was already screwing up. Oh, how he wished he was the one turned into a child. It would have been so much better than this parenting stuff. "But what do you think of this? She is lusting over Clint, brother. What will she do when she realizes that he is a child?"

"I do not think she will," Loki answered, walking around the room. He didn't know exactly how he felt about the pictures on the wall, but he knew he didn't like it. "If she knew Hawkeye was turned into a child then she would know that she, too, was turned."

"So we keep her in the dark?"

"That will probably be best."

Footsteps were heard making their way towards them, and the brothers turned just in time to see Tony popping his head in the room. "There you are. I was wondering – OH, MY GOD, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY WALLS!?"

* * *

_** My apologies for taking so long! I have not forgotten about this story, so please don't think I've given up on it! And I'm sorry if this completely sucks. I wrote the first part a while back and then just wrote the last part tonight. I'm sure you can probably tell, but don't hate me too much for it!**_

_** Also, if you haven't yet, please check out my newest story, **_"Smoke You Out,"_** because I would love to hear what you think!**_


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